Nathaniel x Deaf! Reader

(A/n)- This was a request. And Nathaniel will be OOC for this, but it'll be good. At least I hope so anyway. Ans any quotation marks really means that it's being signed. Thanks for reading!

Tears lined your eyes as you watched the red-head leave. You didn't understand. Was it because you were deaf?

You walked up the steps, (Support Dog's Name) walking beside you. You smiled at the pup and made your way inside. Everywhere students stood, chatting and playing around.

You wished you could do that. But you were deaf. So you didn't have very many friends.

In fact you only had one. Nathaniel. The one person who didn't judge you or hurt you for your disability.

You loved Nathaniel. He was perfect. He was always there for you and always managed to make you smile.

Speaking of, here he comes now. You blushed upon seeing the male. He was coming from his other group of friends.

"Hey, (Y/n)," he signed. He looked at (S/D/n). "Hey, bud/girl. What's going on?"

You saw his lips moving and assumed he was asking (S/D/n) something as if he could talk. That was one thing you liked about (S/D/n).

Just like you, he couldn't speak. And sometimes he couldn't understand things. You felt understood for once.

"How are you, today?" you signed to your friend. Nathaniel signed back that he was good. You were about to sign something when Marinette came over.

She started conversing with Nathaniel. You tried to read her lips but she was speaking too fast. She had a deep blush on her face and she was looking around as if she were nervous.

You watched Nathaniel's reaction to try to see what was going on. He smiled and said something back. Marinette squealed and wrapped her arms around him.

You were broke back by the pawing of (S/D/n). You looked down and saw that he/she was trying to tell you that the bell had rang. You smiled and pat his/her head.

You signed to Nathaniel that you would go on ajead. He didn't even acknowledge you, but you passed it off since he was in a deep conversation. You walked with (S/D/n) up the stairs and to the classroom.

You took your seat at the back and began taking notes. Nathaniel came in a few minutes later with Mari. You eyed them curiously.

Mari kissed Nathaniel's cheek. Your eyes widened. Did she...

No...

Tears brimmed at the corners of your eyes. You wiped them away and waited for Nathaniel to approach you.

He took his seat next to you and brought out his journal. You averted you gaze and continued on with writing notes. It was going to be a long day.

You sat down at the isolated table and began eating. (S/D/n) pawed you for some food. You smiled and gave him/her some of your lunch. You looked back up and saw that someone had decided to sit with you.

"Hi, Nate," You signed. The red-head signed back. You looked around, wondering where Marinette was.

He and Mari had been dating for the past few weeks. They were always together. You envied Marinette.

"Where's Marinette?" you signed. Nathaniel signed that she was with her friends. It was "silent" then.

You started eating again, handing portions to (S/D/n). Nathaniel seemed to be holding something in. He looked stiff, as if he was thinking about something.

He let out a sigh. "(Y/n)," he signed. You looked at him curiously.

"Marinette and I aren't together anymore. I'm with Juleka now. She asked me out just this morning." He then looked at his sketchbook. You looked down at your food.

You had to hold the tears in. Why did you not see this coming? He only ever saw you as a friend.

Nathaniel had been with almost all of the girls in your class. But he had never thought about you. It hurt.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and gave a curt nod. No other "words" were exchanged then. (S/D/n) alerted you when it was time to go back to class.

You got up, clearing your plate and heading back to class, alone.

"A...I...uh...I..." You stared at your reflection in the mirror. You decided that you would practice on your speech. Maybe if you could speak Nathaniel would notice you.

But you were failing miserably. You couldn't get anything but grunts and groans out. Not being able to hear yourself didn't help either.

You didn't really know what you were supposed to sound like. You just watched lips and tried to mimick the motions. But it wasn't working.

"I...l....la...le..."

How were you supposed to get noticed if you couldn't even speak? You sighed. (S/D/n) laid next to you, watching you in curiosity.

"Na...ne...n...Nath...Nathu..." You were so close. You were determined.

"N...Nathan...Nathaniel."

You paused. Did you do it? You tried again.

"Na..thaniel..." That was it! You did it!

"Nathaniel!"

You walked up the steps, head held high and confidence as tall as the Eifel Tower. Today was the day. Today you would confess to Nathaniel.

Your heart was racing. You had practiced for weeks trying to perfect your confession.  Maybe he'll actually accept it!

You spotted said male up ahead. You made your way over to him. You almost forgot that (S/D/n) wasn't with you.

You had left them at home since you wanted to do this by yourself. You wanted to feel independent. So you gave her a pat know the head and gave her a handful of treats before walking out the door, alone, for the first time ever.

You tapped the red-head on the shoulder. He turned. "Oh, (Y/n)," he signed.

You smiled, a blush quickly spreading across your cheeks. You drew a deep breath and clasped your hands together. You brought your gaze up to him.

"I...love you, Nathaniel."

The words fell off of your lips smoothly and slowly. Nathaniel's eyes widened. "You can speak!" he signed.

You giggled. "Y-es!" you managed to say. Nathaniel wrapped his arms around you.

It took you by surprise. But you took in the moment nonetheless. His arms felt safe and perfect.

The hug was cut short when Nathaniel pulled away. His face held concern and sorrow. Your heart skipped a beat.

"I'm sorry," he signed. "But I can't be with you." You froze.

It felt like your world was crashing down. Your chest became tight and your heart pounded against your chest. No!

"Why?!" you signed. Tears streamed down your eyes. Nathaniel looked away.

"I'm sorry, (Y/n). But I care about you too much to do that to you. You are the most important person in my life, and I don't want to mess that up with getting in a relationship with you. I love you more than you will ever know. But I'm sorry. I can't do that to you." Nathaniel brought you in for another hug. You didn't want to leave.

e, you thought, He pulled away. You missed his embrace already.

"Don't go," you signed. Nathaniel frowned. Your heart broke.

"I'm sorry, (Y/n)," he signed one last time before turning and walking away. Tears lined your eyes as you watched the red-head leave. You didn't understand. Was it because you were deaf?